Fears rival Thai protesters are headed for clash

ELITE-BACKED “Yellow Shirts” in Thailand vowed to take action yesterday if the government fails to deal with red-clad protesters within a week, raising fears of clashes between the rival groups.

The “Red Shirts“, who mainly support ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have occupied the capital for over a month with their anti-government campaign, which led to clashes with security forces last weekend leaving 25 people dead.

Thailand is largely split between the poor and rural Reds and the pro-establishment Yellows, who hit the streets ahead of a 2006 coup that ousted Thaksin and again to see off his allies in 2008.

The Yellows had remained largely silent since the Reds began mass rallies in mid-March demanding immediate elections, but they held a meeting of up to 5,000 supporters yesterday to discuss a response.

“In seven days we hope that the government will deal with the terrorists from Thaksin immediately, otherwise we will show our voice to protect the country and the royal family,” said Parnthep Pourpongpan, spokesman for the Yellow group formally known as the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

Yellow protesters in 2008 blockaded Bangkok’s two main airports, leading to a court verdict that ousted Thaksin’s allies and allowed a parliamentary vote that brought in the current government.

The Reds, who are campaigning against Thailand’s elite in palace, military and bureaucratic circles, say the government’s rise to power was illegitimate.

The authorities have so far failed to bring an end to the Reds’ mass rallies. A botched attempt to clear areas occupied by the demonstrators triggered the country’s deadliest civil unrest in 18 years last weekend.

The government has asked the police’s special investigation unit to probe the bloodshed, blaming “terrorists” for inciting violence and accusing Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid jail, of stoking the unrest.